Quick-opening manhole



March 18, 1952 H. H. GARY QUICK-OPENING MANI-IOLE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 6, 1946 l INVENTOR, HarZweZZ H. ary,

BY I

ATTORNEY.

H. H. GARY QUICK-OPENING MANHOLE March 18, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. e, 1946 INVENToR. Hara/@ZZ 'zarg, BY

ATTORNEY.

March 18, 1952 Filed Dec. 6, 1946 iEj.

' H. H. GARY QUICK-OPENING MANI-[OLE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR., HarZweZZ h. ary,

March 18, 1952 H, H, GARY l 2,589,795

QUICK- OPENING MANHOLE HarZw'eZZ hi ary,

ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 18, 1952 UNITED 'S TATE S APilTEiISI T OFF ICE QUICK-'OPENING MANHGLE Hartwell H. Gary, Norfolk, Va. Application December 6, 1.59.46, "Serial No. '714,488

(Cl. 22B-5.75)

.2 Claims. il

My vv.present sinventionrrlates to quick-.opening manholes, handhole's and the like, and .consists of new .fand :useful -improvements to apparatus of lthe general itype on which Letters Patent No. 2,318151 were granted Ito me on .May 4, :1943, and has :for `its objects to provide additional and improved .means of axially moving the 'cap into and out of engagement with its gasket prior to any angular 'movement of the yoke on 4its hinge; to provide additional and improved means for latching and unlatch'ing the yoke; and to provide a manhole and cover which i's'a'dapted to be manufactured largely from thin metal stampings in contrast to the thick metal castings contemplated in my'previous invention, thus greatly decreasing 'the Weight, which is highly desirable especially when the apparatus is used in Yconnection with .truck tanks and the like to the end that pay iload may be substituted lor dead load. L('Ihs latter :object of my invention relates especially `to the novel :means :provided for gasketing the structure.)

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed* outhereinafter.

To the attainment lof the aforesaid objects and ends invention still further resides in the novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be first fully described in the following detailed description, and then be particularly pointed Yout lin the appended claims, reference being had 'to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a 'vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section on the line -3--3 of Fig. `1.

Fig. 4 is a detail section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of another embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line 6-5 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 37 'is an enlarged detail perspective view of the male cam member.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail perspective view of the female cam member.

Fig. i9 'is `side elevation of 'a .modification -o'f the 4embodiment shown in'Figs 1 and 2.

In the drawings Vin which like numerals and letters of reference indicate like parts in all the igures, I represents a manhole ring having an inwardly directed portion {6'3 'at right 'angles to 'the ring proper, and an internal upwardly extended annular flange 6I, forming a seat for a gasket 9.

A frame for attachment to the ring I is formed principally of sheet metal and is composed of an right angles to the rim G, fanin'termedlate rim 4, an upper annu-lar i'lat portion 3, andan inner upstandi-ng rim 2. A ring l is welded, 'at w, to the portion 3 at a suitable vdistance from the rim '2 to provide a 'pocket for the gasket 8. 'Threaded studs Il) are Vwelded 'to the under face of the frame portion 3 and cooperate with -L -shaped clamps I'I and Vnuts I2 to secure the lframe to the ring I.

'The cap lI3 is of the same general form -as that, 32, of my patent aforesaid. It has a keeper I4 'that 'passes through a hole I'I lin the yoke I5 and 'has Welded to it, the hub I9. -In said hub I9 is provided a groove 39 in vwhich is set a split 'ring 40. A coiled spring '4l lies between the split ring 4U andthe yoke "I5 and continuously tends 'to move the lcap I'3 axially toward the yoke. The `yoke l5 i's of thin `metal kstamped with flanges I6 to 'the top of `which 'the vbase of a guide `and Icam-shaft-suportn-gmember12I is welded. -The 'member T2-I has a guide boss through 'which the 'hub 'I9 projects. It also has sides 23 joined by l'a bridge .bar 24 Iand provided with bearings v25 for the cam shaft 25, the latter being held in place by a cotter pin B12, vas best lshown in Fig. 3. The yoke is 'also .provided with a guide boss I8 through which the hub I9 projects and the hub 159 is threaded `to receive the threaded plug 20.

Suitably -mounted `on the shaft 215 is a main cam member between the flanges -28 of which the projection 63 of -the plug 2'0 lies. The cam member has vafcam2l to engage 'the-projection B3 'and foams 29 v'to `engage the ngers 3l of the latch-releasing fork 65. The -fork 65 has exten- 'sions 38 'constituting guide members to overlie the `circular ends '36 vof the main cam member,

as best shown "in `Figs. -3 and 4. A handle 30 is welded kto fthe cam 521 (see Fig. 1'). A latch 'keeper '564 (is welded 'to the frame and cooperates with a latch 3l that is pivoted to one end fof vthe yoke I5 by a pivot pin 32 mounted in the flanges '136. "This latch keeper Gil also serves as a stopfor they'oke I5. The 4latch has an apertured lug '33 through which and through an apertured "rib "34 welded to and between the anges I6, a

latch releasing rod 35 passes, and to which the fork, 285 is welded.

A'The yoke I5 is welded to one member 43 of a hinge joint Aanother -mem'b'e'r 252 of which is weld- -ed "to the "frame, the two members 42 and 43 being connected by a hinge 'pin 45. The Ayoke I5 lis eX- tended beyond the hinge as at M 4to comprise a stop.

vilcoil spring '55 lliesbe'tween the lug 33 and the rib 3:4 land continuously tends to move the 'latch 3| to latching position and overcome the Vtension of a buffer spring 6l which lies about the rod 35 between the lug 33 and the adjusting nuts 68.

outer rim 6, a lower annular seat portion 5, at so The foregoing completes a description of the tructure of the first embodiment of my invenion.

By reference to Figs. 1 and 2 it will be seen the parts are in the closed position. Upon lifting the lever 30, the cam 21 will rst release the plug 20 (whereupon spring 4I will lift cap I3) and upon further movement the cams 29 will engage the fingers 31 and push the fork 65 from left to right in Figs. 2 and 4, thereby releasing latch 3|. Further lifting of lever 39 will bring it against bridge bar 24 as a stop and thereafter further moving of the lever in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 2) will raise the yoke and cap 'to slightly beyond vertical position where it will remain of its own weight.

By arranging the position of the apparatus so that the yoke I5 lies in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and with the hinge joint forward, when the vehicle starts forward, the jerk thereof will automatically cause the yoke to fall and the latch to engage its keeper to again latch the cover or cap closed.

If desired, the automatic latching devices may be omitted and in that event the latch 3|b is provided with a handle 46 for releasing the latch (see Fig. 9).

In Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive I have shown another embodiment of my invention. In these figures those parts which are of substantially the same- -construction as like parts in the preceding figures vbear the same reference numbers plus the index letter a and need not be further described here. In this embodiment the plug 20a has a Amale cam 48 which cooperates with a female cam con- `sisting of a cup 49 containing the cam element 50 (see Figs. 6, 7 and 8). The member 2W, instead of having an integral bridge bar, has flanges 41 to which a bridge bar 24a yis bolted or secured by cap screws 69 (see Figs. 5 and 6). YAn adjusting screw 5| is mounted in the bar 24a and holds the cams 48 and 50 in constant engagement, with the assistance of the spring 4I.

'Ihe cup member 49 has a groove 52 to receive a flanged clamp 53 which carries radial arms 54 by means of which the female cam member may be turned about the axis of the plug 20a, to tighten or release the cap I3 on its seat accordingly as the cup member 49 is turned in one direction or the other.

The clamp ring 52 has a cam 55 to engage a lstud 51 on a bell crank lever 56 that is pivoted at 59 to the yoke and to the `other arm of which the latch-releasing rod 35a is connected as at 58. The cam 55 is so positioned that the first part of the turning of arms 54 from the position shown serves to release the cap and further movement causes cam 55 to engage the stud 51 and rock the bell crank to release the latch.

Reverse movement of arms 54 rst releases the latch and after latching takes place, further movement of the arms in the same direction forces the cap to closed position. The screw connection between plug 20 and hub I9 (Figs. 2 and 3) and the adjusting screw 5I (Fig. 6) provide means for adjusting the cap axially with respect to its gasket.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings it is thought the construction, operation and advantages of my invention will be clear to those skilled in the art.

What I claim is:

1. In a quick-opening manhole, a manhole ring and a frame sealed thereto, said frame carrying a gasket, a cap adapted to seat against said gasket, a yoke pivoted at one end to said frame and extending diametrically across said frame, a latch carried by said yoke at its other end and a latch keeper on said frame for said latch, a hollow hub secured to said cap and projecting upwardly through said yoke in sliding relation therewith, a ring secured to said hub superjacent said yoke, a spring interposed between said ring and yoke for urging said cap towards said yoke, a shaft rotatably mounted in said yoke, a cam on said shaft, a plug secured in the upper end of said hub and having its upper end terminating in sliding engagement with the lower face of said cam, and means for actuating said cam for compressing said spring and axially moving said cap into engagement with said gasket subsequent to the latching of said yoke.

2. In a quick-opening manhole, a manhole ring and a frame sealed thereto, said frame carrying a gasket, a cap adapted to seat against said gasket, a yoke pivoted at one end to said frame and extending diametrically across said frame, a latch carried by said yoke at its other end and a latch keeper on said' frame for said latch, a hollow hub secured to said cap and projecting upwardly through said yoke in sliding relation therewith, a ring secured to said hub superjacent said yoke, a spring interposed between said ring and yoke for urging said cap towards vsaid yoke, a shaft rotatably mounted in said yoke, a cam on said shaft, a plug secured in the upper end of said hub and having its upper end terminating in sliding engagement with the lower face of said cam, a fork supported on said shaft, cam members mounted on said shaft and engageable with the ends of said fork, a rod having one end secured to said fork with the other end secured to a lug on said latch and a handle secured to said cam for rotating said shaft and cam members for moving said fork and rod to latch said yoke prior to the engagement of said cam with said plug for compressing said spring and axially moving said cap into engagement with said gasket.

HARTWELL H. GARY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: Y

UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Aug. 23, 1928 

